Body mounted camera stabilization devices are typically comprised of a camera equipment support system with a three-axis gimbal at its center of gravity. The support structure is usually attached to an articulated support arm that is in turn attached to an operator-worn vest, although the arm may be mounted to other stationary or mobile structures. These devices are designed to support and isolate a camera or other device from the unwanted movements of a walking, running or otherwise moving operator, vehicle or operator/vehicle combination. Common examples of such devices are those marketed under the trademark Steadicam®.
The body-mounted stabilizer camera support structure, conventionally known as the ‘sled’, generally includes extended masses to enhance inertial stability and to position the center of balance in an accessible location. The camera support ‘sled’ structure is approximately neutrally counterbalanced by a rigidly mounted camera at one end of a center-post, and other rigidly mounted components, (video monitor, battery, focus equipment, microwave transmission equipment, camera control unit equipment, other electronics, etc) at the other end of the post. The camera can thus be aimed in any direction by slight hand pressure adjacent to the gimbal. The mutually perpendicular directions of these aiming motions are distinctly referred to as pan, tilt and roll.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified, “roll” denotes rotation about an axis generally parallel to the camera's lens, “pan” describes rotation about an axis that runs down the center of the camera-support central post, and which is offset 90° from the roll axis ‘Tilt’ describes rotation about a substantially horizontal axis perpendicular to both the lens axis and the pan axis.
Since the camera and monitor are rigidly attached to the support structure, vertical camera travel, while maintaining a level camera horizon, is restricted to the maximum vertical excursion of the articulated support arm, which is typically 32 inches in standard mode plus an overlapping, but discontinuous, 32 inches in ‘low mode’. Conversion to low mode requires mechanically removing the camera, inverting the support structure, and reattaching it to the inverted support structure via a so-called ‘low-mode bracket’ that is different for every camera. Additionally, the monitor must be inverted, the gimbal adjusted along the center-post to restore the desired slight bottom-heaviness of the balanced masses; a special gimbal-to-arm attachment bracket must be employed; and all cables of the entire camera system must be detached and reattached.
Finally, the system must be rebalanced. This time-intensive procedure must be followed every time the conversion from low mode to high, or high mode to low, is required. Often, due to time constraints, the shot is eliminated, much to the chagrin of the director and operator.
Another problem for operators of these devices arises when a low-mode shot requires surmounting some type of obstacle, such as a car hood, fence, bar, desk, etc. due limited lateral reach of the support arm.
Gyro-leveled, ‘roll-cage-mounted’ camera supports are known, and are marketed, for example, under the trade name “AR”, which permit continuous ‘low-mode’ to ‘high-mode’ shooting. These devices, however are extremely awkward to operate, since, on the way from low to high positions, ‘tilt’ and ‘pan’ progressively require non-intuitive manipulations of the stabilizer's center post which are unrelated to the camera's actual orientation.
Extended pole-supported, remotely controlled camera mounts, including one marketed as ‘Pole-Cam, are known in the art and simply constructed, but they are extremely unstable unless mounted on stationary tripod supports.
A need therefore exists for an apparatus for augmenting the capabilities of equipment-stabilizing supports—in particular body-mounted camera stabilizers—and extending their reach and angular agility so that stabilized operations, such as shots, can be made that preferably include unrestricted and intuitive angular control of the camera, as well as large lateral and vertical displacements from the operator's position.